Mas from Latina

Search form

16 Child Stars: Then & Now

Remember Mario Lopez on Saved by the Bell? Or how about Ricky Martin's days with Menudo? Check out these then and now photos of 16 Latino celebrities who were child stars:

1.
Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez

Then: In 2002, Selena made her TV debut on Barney & Friends. The adorable starlet then went on to guest star on Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana, before finally landing her own show on the cable network, Wizards of Waverly Place. While working on Wizards of Waverly Place, Selena formed her band, Selena Gomez & the Scene. She released her debut album with the band in 2009.

Now: The 21-year-old Mexican-American shed her Disney image and began taking on roles in films such as Spring Breakers and Getaway. She parted ways with her band and has since released her solo debut album, Stars Dance. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 charts.

2.
Victoria Justice

Victoria Justice

Then: Victoria made her acting debut when she was 10-years-old, with a guest appearance on the popular TV show Gilmore Girls. The next year, she guest starred on the Disney Channel series, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. But it wasn’t until 2005 that Victoria was offered a main role, starring as Lola Martinez on Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101 – a role she stayed with for three years. In 2010, Victoria was tapped to star as Tori Vega on the hit Nickelodeon show, Victorious. The show’s premiere received 5.7 million views and became the second-highest rated premiere for a live-action Nickelodeon series.

Now: Since Victorious ended, the part Puerto Rican star has been busy working on various movie projects and an MTV show called Eye Candy. Victoria is also expected to drop her solo debut album in 2014.

3.
Mike Vitar

Mike Vitar

Then: Remember Benny “The Jett” Rodriguez? Yes, that was Mike starring in 1993’s The Sandlot. A year later, Mike went on to play Luis Mendoza in D2: The Mighty Ducks and again in 1996 for D3: The Mighty Ducks.

Now: Since retiring from acting in 1997, Mike began to look into various other fields. In 2002, he became a firefighter for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and has been there ever since.

4.
Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato

Then: The Texas-born cutie jump-started her acting career, alongside BFF Selena Gomez, on the children’s series Barney & Friends. Like Selena, Demi then moved on to Disney Channel, starring as Charlotte Adams in the short series As the Bell Rings. In the summer of 2007, she landed roles in the network’s movie Camp Rock and series Sonny with a Chance. Camp Rock, in which Demi starred as Mitchie Torres, premiered in the summer of 2008 to an astounding 8.9 million viewers. That same year, Demi released her debut album, Don’t Forget. The album came in at number two on the Billboard 200 and has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Now: After dealing with some very serious personal struggles, Demi went on hiatus but she came back with a bang. In 2013, she released an album and a book, and she appeared as a judge for The X Factor.

6.
Fergie

Fergie

Then: The “Fergalicious” singer got her start doing the voice of Sally Brown on a few Charlie Brown specials. From 1984 to 1989, she starred on the music-infused show, Kids Incorporated. She was the show’s longest running cast member. Fast forward three years, Fergie was singing with a group called Wild Orchid. She left the group in 2001 and revealed that personal drug problems and the band’s image led to her departure. In 2003, Fergie joined The Black Eyed Peas.

Now: Still the female vocalist for The Black Eyed Peas, Fergie is also working on another solo album while being mami to baby Axl Jack. The 38-year-old singer also has her own line of Wet n Wild beauty products.

7.
Alexa Vega

Alexa Vega

Then: Alexa is best known for her role as Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids movies, but the actress actually got her start in the TV series, Evening Shade.

Now: The 25-year-old newlywed told us she’s been working hard to transition from being seen as a child star, taking on roles such as KillJoy in Machete Kills, in order to bring her image to an older audience.

8.
Tatyana Ali

Tatyana Ali

Then: Tatyana began her acting career on Sesame Street at the age of 6. But it wasn’t until she starred as Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that everyone knew her name. Tatyana appeared on Fresh Prince from 1990-1996. During the show’s final season, Tatyana started working on her music career. Her debut album, Kiss the Sky, was released in 1998 and became certified gold in 1999. In 2002, Tatyana graduated from Harvard with a bachelor’s degree in African American studies.

Now: The Panamanian beauty stars as Maya in the BET comedy, Second Generation Wayans.

9.
David Gallagher

David Gallagher

Then: Who could forget Simon Camden on 7th Heaven? We sure can’t! But before the Cubano went on to play Simon for 10 years on the hit family show, he appeared as super adorable Mikey Ubriacco in Look Who’s Talking Now.

Now: After his run on 7th Heaven, David went on to have several guest roles on various shows including CSI, The Vampire Diaries, and most recently, Second Generation Wayans.

10.
Andrew Keegan

Andrew Keegan

Then: The Colombian American actor landed his breakthrough role in the 1994 movie Camp Nowhere, where he played young bad boy, Zack Dell. In 1996, he had a small role in the summer blockbuster, Independence Day. Three years later he starred as Joey Donner in 10 Things I Hate About You, a role he is best known for.

Now: Andrew still does acting here and there, but not as often as he did in the 90’s. The 34-year-old hottie recently starred alongside Ryan Guzman in an action film called April Rain.

12.
Frankie Muniz

Frankie Muniz

Then: The part Puerto Rican star had a few guest spots beginning in 1997 on various TV shows, but it wasn’t until 2000 when he landed the lead role in Malcolm in the Middle, that Frankie really rose to fame. He went on to play for six years and was even nominated for an Emmy in 2001 for his role as Malcolm. The premiere of Malcolm in the Middle debuted to 23 million viewers.

Now: In 2012, Frankie made a cameo appearance on Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 and in 2013 he starred in a TV movie called Blast Vegas.

14.
Mario Lopez

Mario Lopez

Then: Before Saved by the Bell, Mario starred in a TV series called a.k.a. Pablo, when he was only 11-years-old. In 1985, he was a dancer and drummer on the hit show, Kids Incorporated. Then, in 1989, Mario landed the role we all known him for, as A.C. Slater on SBT.

15.
Edward Furlong

Edward Furlong

Then: Edward began his career at 14 in the 1991 flick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He starred as John Connor and won an MTV Award for Best Breakthrough Role. Edward went on to star in various powerful films after that, including American History X, where he starred opposite Edward Norton.

16.
Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera

Then: In 1991, at the age of 11, Christina auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club. Unfortunately, she did not meet the age requirements at the time. Two years later she tried out again and landed a spot on the show. Christina stayed part of the MMC cast until the show was cancelled in 1994. At 14, Christina recorded her first song, “All I Wanna Do.” Her music career kept rising to the top after that.

Now: Christina continues to sing, but has also taken on a coach/mentor role as one of the judges of NBC’s The Voice.